Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday crimes committed against Christians in the Middle East were tantamount to "genocide", joining other high-ranking diplomats in calling for action. Like other minorities, Christians have been the target of brutal violence waged by jihadists in countries such as Libya and Syria. "There are awful

But that has made their latest decision on the fate of 19 Christian prisoners all the more surprising to some. On Sunday, ISIS released them. Ten other Assyrian Christians are expected to join them in freedom after a short time in captivity.

Beirut, Feb 28 (IANS/EFE) Christians, threatened by Islamic State (IS) jihadis in Syria, have organised themselves into a militia to fight the militants, with the help of the Kurdish forces, according to a media report. The Syrian Military Council (MFS) is the main Christian rebel faction in the al-Hasakah province in north-east Syria, composed of three batt